EXCLUSIVE: Rose McGowan is taking aim at awards season with her directorial debut Dawn, a short film for which the actress-filmmaker is launching an Oscar-qualifying run this week in Los Angeles. Dawn is the disturbing tale of a Kennedy-era teenager (Tara Barr) who strikes up a flirtation with the boy who works at the local gas station (Reiley McClendon) and invites him and his friends into her sheltered world. In Deadline’s exclusive clip, innocent fun turns ominous when Dawn goes out at night with her new pals. McGowan premiered the short at Sundance and is pairing it with seven nights of classic features featuring strong female voices in order to make it eligible for Academy consideration, dubbing it the Dawn Festival. The mini-fest starts September 19 at L.A.’s Downtown Independent theater. Here’s the exclusive peek at Dawn:
